Purdah

What does it mean and where does the word come from?

Across central UK Government the term ‘purdah’ is used to describe the pre-election period. This can be before either an election or a referendum. During this time there are restrictions on a range of activities carried out by Civil Servants such as communications and policy announcements (Commons Briefing papers SN05262 — Online accessed April 2017). This is to guard against the perception that announcements, communications or announcements could influence the outcome of a vote. The restrictions at this time are not prescribed by law but instead are a convention observed by Civil Servants in order to ensure compliance with the requirement to act with impartiality as set out under the Civil Service Code.

The term ‘purdah’ is used as short hand for the period of sensitivity leading up to the vote. Do you know what it means?

According to Wolfram Alpha, my search engine of choice, Purdah is a practice in some Hindu and Muslim societies of screening women from strangers and men by using screens. It can mean:

• A state of isolation
• A traditional Hindu or Muslim practice of keeping women secluded
• A screen used in India to keep women secluded

Perhaps not without controversy. The word itself is a mix between Urdu and Persian having first been introduced in the nineteenth century. Respectfully my preference is to refer to the time leading up to a vote as the pre-election period rather than to normalize the seclusion and separation of women by allowing the term to enter common discourse by stealth.